Drops

Obama’s Approval Rating Drops Below 50% on Key Issues Such As Healthcare

Public support for Barack Obama is slipping on the major issues likely to define his presidency, particularly healthcare reform with approval dropping below 50% for the first time.

According to a Washington Post poll published today, voter confidence in Obama on other key issues, such as the economy, unemployment and the huge budget deficit, is also slipping.

The president’s overall rating remains strong with 59% of those polled generally approving of his leadership. Nonetheless that is six points down on a month ago.

The growing political fight over healthcare reform appears to be taking its toll on Obama’s ratings as support for him on the issue fell to 49% from 57% in April. Opposition to his proposals rose sharply, from 29% to 44%, as accusations that the president’s plan for comprehensive access to health insurance amounts to socialism that will lead to the government choosing people’s doctors, more taxes and increase the national deficit have had an impact. However, health reform is still strongly backed among Democrats and those earning less than $50,000 a year.

There has also been a major shift since Obama took office in January against the government attempting to spend its way out of recession. At the beginning of the year, a little more than half of voters supported federal spending to revive the economy. That has fallen sharply, to 40%, while a significant majority now believes it is more important to avoid increasing the budget deficit.

The increased spending has also undermined Obama’s attempts to portray himself as a new type of Democratic president. Four months ago, two out of three Americans saw him as careful with the public’s money and a break from the old-style tax and spend Democrats. Now, the numbers are much closer with only 52% having such confidence.

Tags: Approval, Below, Drops, Healthcare, Issues, Obama's, Rating, Such

Friday, September 10th, 2010 Grants No Comments

Suzuki’s Parting Shot at Honda As Super Aguri Drops Off Grid

Aguri Suzuki hit out yesterday at the Honda formula one team and their chief executive, Nick Fry, suggesting they had been unhelpful when he was trying to persuade their parent company in Tokyo to continue supporting his Super Aguri team, which has folded after just over two seasons.

The Japanese former racing driver took an acerbic parting shot at Fry, who had been skeptical about a rescue planned by the German Weigl group and had reportedly told Formula One Management, which organizes the paddock, that Super Aguri would not race in Turkey. “I don’t understand how suddenly Nick Fry needs to be commenting on everything,” said Suzuki. “Honda [the parent company] were our backers and he’s not the CEO of Honda. I have no interest in Nick Fry whatsoever and have no idea what he was talking about.”

Honda, for whom Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello drive, had no comment to offer on Fry’s behalf but it is understood they felt that too much of their resources were being diverted to keep Super Aguri in business.

The decision that Super Aguri would withdraw with immediate effect was taken after a Honda board meeting in Japan refused to provide any additional funding following the collapse of two takeover bids for the team over the past month.

The team reputedly still owe Honda between $70m (£35.4m) and $100m (£50.6m) for engine lease fees and chassis technology and the Japanese car maker was unwilling to extend any further credit. That means the British driver Anthony Davidson and his team-mate Takuma Sato are left with virtually no prospect of remaining in formula one only days before this weekend’s Turkish grand prix.

Last month it emerged that the Magma automotive design consultancy was close to concluding a deal to take a majority stake in the team, with financial support from Dubai. That fell through and only last week the Weigl group came forward with a takeover bid. “We simply ran out of time to put together a deal with Weigl,” said Suzuki, who had been due to meet Honda’s board in Tokyo yesterday to discuss the team’s fate. “Magma pulled out suddenly and since then I have been flying all over the world talking to other companies. Financially it was just impossible to continue.”

The FIA has appointed an independent expert, Anthony Scrivener QC, to investigate allegations that the sex scandal involving its president, Max Mosley, included Nazi role-playing. “Mr Scrivener will provide an opinion on whether the available evidence supports the use by the News of the World of this description,” the FIA said yesterday. Mosley, who is suing the News of the World over the allegations, welcomed the appointment, the FIA said. The 68-year-old has admitted visiting prostitutes but denied there was any Nazi role-playing and has called a special general assembly in Paris on June 3 to decide his future.

Extinct F1 teams

Lotus 1958-1994

Grands prix 491

World championships Jim Clark, 1963, 1965; Graham Hill, 1968; Jochen Rindt, 1970; Emerson Fittipaldi, 1972; Mario Andretti, 1978

Arrows 1978-2002

Grands prix 382

World championships none

Best driver Riccardo Patrese, 1978-81

March 1970-1992

Grands prix 227

World championships none

Best drivers Niki Lauda, 1971-72; Ronnie Peterson, 1970-72 and 1976